Stockton Beach Repair Project

The NSW Government is addressing longstanding coastal erosion at Stockton Beach by delivering sand for beach nourishment, as part of a broader coastal management strategy. This initiative, supported by the Stockton Coastal Management Program and the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program, aims to enhance beach usability and protect coastal assets.

Erosion problem

Stockton Beach has a long history of coastal erosion impacts that have threatened private and public assets and degraded the usability of the beach. Past coastal management strategies have included constructing coastal protection works, temporary protection works, emergency management responses and small-scale beach nourishment.

NSW coastal management framework

The NSW Government has established a modern and integrated coastal management framework to better equip coastal communities to respond to existing and future coastal management challenges and opportunities. The framework's purpose is to manage how the coastal environment is used and developed in an ecologically sustainable way, for the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the people of New South Wales.

Stockton Coastal Management Program

The Stockton Coastal Management Program was adopted by the City of Newcastle in 2020. Large-scale or 'mass' beach nourishment is the community-supported erosion management strategy that City of Newcastle has proposed in their Stockton Coastal Management Program. This would improve beach usability and increase the protective buffer between the ocean and coastal assets.

Beach nourishment initiatives

There are several beach nourishment initiatives underway to support the City of Newcastle and the Stockton community realise their long-term coastal management strategy.

The Stockton Beach Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program (CERMP) initiative is funded by a $4.7 million Commonwealth grant and a $1.5 million contribution from the City of Newcastle. In delivering the first stage (Stage 1) of the CERMP initiative, NSW Public Works completed an initial phase of beach nourishment at Stockton to improve beach usability and coastal protection over the short term. The second stage of the CERMP initiative will identify preferred sand sources and complete the environmental assessments required to meet the longer-term requirements for sand nourishment.

The outputs of the CERMP initiative will inform how the NSW Government will deliver sand nourishment to Stockton Beach through the Stockton Beach Repair election commitment. The City of Newcastle is responsible for managing Stockton Beach on an ongoing basis and implementing its Stockton Coastal Management Program. Delivering the CERMP initiative and the Stockton Beach Repair election commitment will provide valuable insights to inform and facilitate the ongoing management of Stockton Beach into the future.

Stockton Beach Repair Blueprint

The Stockton Beach Repair Blueprint provides a roadmap that sets out the plan for delivering the Stockton Beach Repair Project. This roadmap brings together the many project stakeholders and beach nourishment initiatives.

Phase 1 is currently underway, with initial beach nourishment sand delivered to Stockton Beach in October and November 2023.